The West Virginia Mountaineers and head coach Dana Holgorsen almost pulled off the stunner of the opening weekend in college football this past Saturday when they went head-to-head with the Alabama Crimson Tide, and only went down 33-23 in the game. For a good amount of time, it looked like Holgorsen and his team were poised to shock the world.
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But in the end, Alabama just had too many playmakers, and one of them was junior wide receiver Amari Cooper, who finished the win with 12 catches for 130 yards against a Mountaineers defense that was bringing all they could the Tide’s way.
In his teleconference on Tuesday, Holgorsen noted just how impressed he was by Cooper. So impressed that not only does he believe that Cooper will be a first-round pick in the NFL draft, but he has the ability to be a top overall pick.
“(Cooper) might be the first overall pick in the draft,” Holgorsen said, according to WVU’s transcript of his Tuesday news conference. “He was a really good player. He got his. He caught the ball, and he got open. (WVU CB) Daryl (Worley) held his own. Daryl held his own, and Daryl is going to be a great player for us.”
It’s very rare these days to think of a wide receiver as a top overall pick, but if anyone can fit that distinction, it could very well be Cooper.